Yo~! So this is my first ever Arashi related post
*claps* I thought it would be fitting to give my impression on their newest album [Untitled]! It came out a couple weeks ago (18th Oct.) but I have only recently been able to listen to it (sad facts about not living in Japan nor having a good enough grasp of the language and also being a poor student who can't afford to buy their album internationally).
Anyway, before I get into the review I'll say a bit about my music taste in general so you have some context on my opinions. I'm mostly into Pop, R&B, Hip-hop, kinda mainstream stuff. In terms of Arashi albums 'Are You Happy?' was/is my favourite up until now and in terms of songs (if you can even pick a favourite) mine would be Face Down. So in terms of Arashi songs, I do tend to like the more upbeat ones and most often I like the ballad/romantic songs. For example, Nino's Niji solo.
Also, another note before I start the review, I am quite biased towards Nino. I tend to like songs that he's featured in heavily and obviously I usually like his solos. Second to Nino, I would say I'm a fan of Sho and most especially his rapping.
So without further ado... here are my thoughts on the album:
Disc 01 Track 01 - Green Light As an opening track for the album, I'm gonna be honest and say that it's quite average. There's nothing that I find particularly special nor particularly bad about it. In terms of the vibe, I would say it features some electro elements but the energy level isn't high. It feels like a good song to listen to when you're getting ready to go out or something like that. It's kind of like a warm-up song for the rest of the album in that sense. Thinking about how they would perform this Live, I can imagine that the dancing for this would be quite interesting and the production for it would be amazing (as expected of Arashi/specifically MatsuJun).
3/5Track 02 - つなぐ (Tsunagu) Arashi released this as a single for Ohno's movie Shinobi no Kuni so it's been out for a while. I have to say I really like this song. There's a slight country vibe which I really enjoy and the rhythm is on point throughout - it's quite a punchy song. Since it is quite catchy it makes me want to sing along all the time and I feel like I play it on repeat whenever I listen to it. To be honest I can't explain why I like it so much but I think it's a very well produced song and the boys do a great job of selling it (especially Ohno who's short solo parts make my heart go キュン and of course his amazing choreography).
5/5Track 03 - 「未完」(Mikan) Holy sh*t I love this song! I love that the used classical music. I also think their parts are well assigned and suit their voices. Sho's rap is just 素晴らしい - there is no other way to describe it. If I were to find any criticism about this song I think it would be in terms of placement on the album. I feel like it would flow nicely from Green Light - but hey who am I to judge really? As a song on its own, I am really thoroughly impressed with the new sound that they've managed to come up with.
10/5Track 04 - Sugar This one has an adult feel - sort of seductive in a way. I think the chorus is quite catchy. This is a really new sound I feel like for Arashi. This album in general features more English than previous albums (at least I think). But this song, in particular, feels like it could be an international hit. It definitely could be played on the radio very easily. Since it has an easy listening vibe to it anyway. While it's not my favourite song I really enjoy listening to it.
4/5Track 05 - Power of the Paradise I'll be honest that when this was released earlier I didn't like it then and I still am not a huge fan of it now. I understand it's an inspirational song and I definitely feel that vibe when I listen to it. However, it's not a song I want to keep coming back to so I don't have too much to say other than I think it's a fairly average song.
2/5Track 06 - ありのままで (Ari no Mama de) THIS SONG!! I LOVE IT. It's a really upbeat song and I happened to listen to it on a day when I wasn't feeling so great and my mood instantly improved. Just from the intro I swear you can't help but smile when you hear it. Again, it's very catchy and a great one to sing along to. I think the Live version of this will be absolutely amazing and one where they'll definitely be connecting with the audience. In one word this song is
#goodvibes.
10/5Track 07 - 風雲（Ｆuun) This is a 'rock' kind of song. The electric guitar and instrumental is actually really cool. I think musically it's cool but the song itself is meh. I don't dislike it nor do I really want to listen to it more than once in one sitting.
3/5Track 08 - I'll be There What a great song to accompany what I thought was a great drama! This was released for Aiba's drama Kizoku Tantei (which I highly recommend). I liked this song when it first came out and I think it's got such a fun vibe. There is a kind of ol' time feel to the song with the reliance on piano and jazz instruments. Yet again the boys' performance of the song also really makes me like it. I think the dance for this was well choreographed and the video was fun to watch. It makes you want to dance along as well and I think that's a definite plus for this song.
5/5Track 09 - 抱擁 (Hōyō) This has got a very relaxed feel to it. I could happily put this song on in the background and relax in a bath or something. It's got that kind of image to it. Also, Sho raps in this one as well and it's good as usual but I quite like the part after the rap with MatsuJun providing some nice vocals. I think MJ shines quite well in this song.
4/5Track 10 - Pray Here's the ballad song! It opens with a soft instrumental and Aiba's lead vocals. It leads into group singing and I think the harmonies are really lovely. It's not on the same level as Miles Away from Are you Happy? but I think that it highlights how Arashi's voices go well together. It's a nice romantic and soft song - a bit of change in pace from the other songs up til now.
3/5Track 11 - 光 (Hikari) Ooooh some gospel has arrived!! Literally, this song suits Nino's voice so well (and this is where my bias may influence my opinion a bit). Just as the title of the song suggests it's a very light and uplifting song. The backing track is really cool and features gospel back up singers but it's subtle and not over the top which is nice. I think that Aiba and Ohno also have some great solo vocal moments. Sometimes I find MatsuJun has a nasal tone (not a bad thing) but it maybe doesn't fit so well with the song in his solo part. Sho has a fabulous rap - it's short but as expected of Sho it's good.
5/5Track 12 - 彼方へ (Kanata e) Another ballad song but this has more of a beat than Pray. It has an inspirational vibe kind of like Power of the Paradise. So in some ways it's like the child of Pray and Power of the Paradise haha! It's another nice song but once again I'm not feeling it as much as some of the other songs on the album. Maybe over time it will grow on me more. It seems like a good one to blast on a road trip and sing along loudly by yourself. So I might try that and see if it changes my opinion lol.
2/5Track 13 - Song for You Okay, so this is a COMPLETELY unexpected and new pattern for Arashi. This is like a musical song. It has a lot of instrumental and has some call and response elements. The parts feel like they belong to characters on stage or something. I think it will be reeeeally interesting to see how this is performed Live. I hope they have a band playing the instrumental parts (kind of like they did during Japonism) because it's seriously cool arrangement. One other thing is the song itself is 11.30 mins so it takes up a huge amount of time. I am sort of pleasantly surprised and not sure how I feel about it but I am majorly impressed by this song.
7.5/5Disc 2 Track 01 - バズりNIGHT (Bazuri Night - Aiba, Ohno and Sho trio song) This is kind of a weird song but I actually think it's really fun. It's a very Aiba song to be honest. In the past I think they would have given this to him as a solo. It has a great club vibe to it and it definitely hypes you up. While it's not musically astounding or anything I think it's a good song.
3/5Track 02 - 夜の影 (Yoru no Kage - MatsuJun, Nino and Ohno trio song) Firstly, 'what the f*ck.?' That's how I felt when I first heard this song. Seriously this is such a sexy song. It's like listening to Usher. I feel like I'm being seduced with my ears all the time. It certainly makes your heart go キュンキュン haha. It's a first for me to hear these three together and I definitely like the vibe they're putting down. I'm super proud of them for producing these unit songs. I have to say MatsuJun is giving me major feels in this song (and that's surprising considering Nino is also on it)
8/5Track 03 - UB (Aiba and Nino pair song) すてきな！Despite the fact these two are always fooling around haha this is a lovely song. I love the melody and the lyrics are pretty. It feels like an autumn song if there is such a thing. I can imagine listening to this with a cup of tea and a wearing a warm sweater. I think this is my favourite of the collaboration songs (again I am aware of my bias but seriously it's a good song!!).
10/5Track 04 - Come Back (MatsuJun and Sho pair song) Okay, so I gotta say that I am disappointed in this pairing. It's not that I don't like the song or that I don't think they've worked hard (because goodness knows how much work these boys put in)... I think that my expectations may have been too high with this pairing. Considering things got a bit weird between the two of them in terms of those public rumours, I think I was sort of expecting something more spectacular from these two. I don't know what else to say other than I do enjoy the call and response between them but other than that it's not as good compared to the other collab songs.
3/5Track 05 - カンパイ･ソング (Kanpai Song) Surprise of the century but this actually is my favourite song out of the whole album. Trust me I am just as shocked as anyone that I would like this song so much but to be honest it's sort of the feeling behind the song I like the most. It really feels like I'm connecting with Arashi in this song and when they say お疲れさま I feel refreshed! And the speaking part is just too cute! I was not expecting this song to be so good or to make me feel so happy but it does and I have to accept the simple things in life are often the best haha!
100/5So that concludes my review of [untitled]. I'm not sure how useful it is to anyone or whether my terrible rating system is even worth paying attention to but if you like it then feel free to comment and tell me or let me know what you think!! Even if I was a little negative in some of my review I hope you all know that I love this album and ultimately I love Arashi and I'll support them no matter what.
じゃあ、またね！
P.S. For those of you who would like to know where I found these songs I would like to give credit to this user and post
https://bluestorm11.livejournal.com/43348.html THANK YOU!
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